Astana Cycling Team

Alberto Contador and the Audi A6 2.7D with which he has traveled to Liege

Alberto Contador arrived today around 15:00 hours at the hotel that his team booked for the week of the Ardennes classics, after a long journey by car of almost 24 hours and 1900 kms between Santiago de Compostela, where yesterday won his third Tour of Castilla and León, and the Belgian city of Liege.

Contador traveled with teammate Benjamin Noval. On Sunday, after the fifth and final stage of the Tour of Castilla and Leon and the corresponding awards ceremony, Astana riders nominated to run the Fleche Wallonne and Liege, embarked around 16:30 on the journey toward Pau, where today morning the had to take the high-speed train to Paris.

During the trip, however, Contador and Noval preferred the alternative to train and continue by car, since it seemed more direct and comfortable. While Pereiro, Jufré and Stangelj continued with the original plan, the first two slept in Poitiers after an initial phase of 1,200 kilometers, and this morning, after 7 hours of sleep, did the rest of the trip to Liege, where they arrived around 15:00 hours, after nearly 24 hours of travel.

Alberto, after a light lunch, spent the rest of the afternoon to do a gentle workout, but took the opportunity to come to recognize a small portion of the course of Liege-Bastogne-Liege in the company of some ccycloturists, with whom he made 30 kilometers. Noval preferred rode on the roller, waiting for tomorrow, when the whole team will made the recognition of the latter part of the Flèche Wallonne.

“It has been a hard journey”, said Contador, “but we have done it relatively comfortable and fast. At the end we were right not to take the train because there it was really full of people, as our teammates have told us. Was not an advantage”.

Last Sunday, during the last stage of the Tour of Castilla and Leon

(Automatic translation. Forgive inaccuracies).

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Jacinto Vidarte
Jefe de Prensa / Press Officer

Альберто Контадор с Audi A6 2.7D, его средством передвижения до Льежа

Вчера в 15:00 Альберто Контадор прибыл в отель, который был забронирован на неделю Арденских Классик. Путь из Santiago de Compostela, где позавчера Контадор выиграл в третий раз Вуэльту Кастилии и Леона в бельгийский город Льеж занял почти сутки и 1900 км.

Контадор добирался со своим товарищем по команде Бенджамином Новалем. В воскресенье, после окончания пятого и заключительного этапа Вуэльты Кастилии и Леона и соответствующей церемонии награждения, заявленные на Валлон и Льеж гонщики Астаны примерно в 16:30 отправились в По, откуда утром отправились на высокоскоростном поезде в Париж.

Тем не менее, Контадор и Новаль предпочли поезду авто, считая это средство передвижения более комфортабельным. А в это время Перейро, Хуфре и Стангели продолжили добираться по первоначальному плану. Первым двум после 1200 км пути удалось поспать в Пуатье 7 часов, после чего они продолжили путь и примерно в 15:00 добрались до Льежа.

Альберто после легкого ланча остаток вечера занимался работой, но не отказался от возможности посмотреть часть маршрута Льеж-Бастонь-Льеж в компании велотуристов, с которыми он проехал 30 км. Новаль тренировался на станке, ожидая следующий день, когда вся команда будет смотреть заключительную часть маршрута Флеш Валлон.
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Alberto Contador in the Tour of Castilla and Leon  - “Igor has been very strong”

Photo - ContadorInfo

Alberto Contador congratulated today at the winner of the stage, Igor Antón, because he deserved the win after the big stage he did. “Everyone likes to win, but Igor has been very strong”, said Contador about his third place.
“For me it is a good result”, he continued. “At the end it was 13 seconds, which are not few, but we will see tomorrow how it turns the time trial”. The stage was a fight between four climbers and wind also played it’s role. “Yes, I knew there would be wind, but have also affected the interests of each rider. When I saw how strong Igor attacked, I have been a little more conservative thinking also in the riders I had on my wheel. I was aware of what was happening behind and that Igor does not catch too many seconds”.
For the time trial, Alberto said he would like “to loose less seconds. It is a short 15 kilometers time trial, and quite hard, that will suit to Igor, but I will try to do what I can”.
After the Criterium International and allergy problems, Contador has felt much better than in Corsica. “Yes, I went a lot better. Although it is now a worse time, with a rainy day there is a much cleaner ambient”, he said. And about Morredero pass, acknowledged that isn’t one of most beautiful. “I had seen a little it’s profile and people explained it to me. There is not a climb too good for me. It is very hard, but ith too long breaks and there is too much influence of the wind”. Regarding today's rivals, Alberto said that this shows “the high level of this race and how hard this tour is, because we are four pure climbers on the overall”.

(Automatic translation. Forgive inaccuracies).

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Jacinto Vidarte
Jefe de Prensa / Press Officer

Альберто Контадор прибыл в Бургос с товарищем по команде Хесусом Эрнандесом и провел последнюю тренировку перед стартом Вуэльты Кастилии и Леона. Гонка начнется завтра и проходит маршруту, который нравится лидеру Астаны.

“Это поворот, который я встретил с энтузиазмом”, он говорит, “Хорошая гонка с финишем в гору на третьем этапе, разделкой на четвертом и окончанием в Сантьяго-де-Компостела”. Контадор финишировал вторым в общем зачете в прошлом году, вслед за бывшим товарищем по команде Леви Лейфеймером, а также выиграл гонку в 2007 и 2008. Read the rest of this entry →

Alberto Contador arrived in Burgos with his team mate Jesus Hernandez, and did together the last training before the Tour of Castilla and Leon, which begins tomorrow with a course that likes very much the leader of Astana. “It's a tourn that I faced with enthusiasm”, he says, “is a nice race with a final climb in the third stage, a time trial in the fourth and the final in Santiago de Compostela”. Contador finished second overall past year, behind his former team mate Levi Leipheimer, and has won the 2007 and 2008 editions.

Alberto Contador starts the race “with motivation and to see how legs respond because the last comtetition was nearly two weeks ago”, although his aim is double. “Of course, as I always say, where I go I like being at a high level and be ahead in the standings, but I don’t know what is my level here, nor the rest of the riders. And it will be also a preparation for the classics, Fleche and Liege, though these races I am aware that I start thinking more to gain experience, because I still don’t know them well and there are riders who are better than me”.

Alberto rode this morning with a new bike, designed especially for him. This is a Tarmac SL3 “with a design that has made Specialized based on the idea of the Triple Crown, with the yellow of the Tour, the Giro's pink and red jersey of the Vuelta, which changes this year. It is an aggressive design, personalized and I like it a lot”.

Specialized plans to build a very limited number of replicas of this new Alberto’s bike to be launched in the coming months and for which orders are already being received. Meanwhile, Alberto maybe can upload it to the podium in the Tour of Castilla and Leon, although he is very prudent. “Well, I would like, but we will to see how things are going. I hope I can race well with this bike ... because if I don’t, I’ll change it again”, he jokes.

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Astana Cycling Team
Communication Department

Сегодня в Пинто прошла презентация команды “Specialized-Contador-MSF”. Команда для участия в МТБ марафоне Titan Desert и поддерживается Альберто Контадором при участии его брата Франа.

Альберто принял участие в мероприятии, целью которого является сбор средств для фонда “Врачи без границ”.

Уже во второй раз команда Контадора примет участие в этом веломарафоне. В 2009 в команде было 4 гонщика, но в 2010 команда будет состоять из 14, друзей Альберто из Мадрида, Андалусии и Каталонии.

“Когда я услышал об этом проекте, сразу же согласился, потому что это отличная идея” – сказал Контадор. “Совет, который могу дать брату и другим, кто собирается участвовать. Это красивая гонка и в этом году будет больше мотивации из-за Врачей без границ. Таким образом, думаю, будет успех”.

Альберто сказал, что, возможно, в будущем тоже проедет Titan Desert. “Кто знает, может в будущем это возможно” - он сказал. “Сейчас это невозможно из-за календаря и возможных рисков, но как только закончу карьеру, это будет возможно, как Жалабер, с которым я разговаривал об этой гонке. В этот раз будет участвовать мой брат и мои друзья”.

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Alberto Contador has decided to change his next competition schedule after an analysis by the astana technical staff about his performance in the Tour of the Algarve and Paris-Nice.

"I had very good results in the first two races, my preparation is well under way and so we decided to change the calendar, to seek a less wear racing for me and for my team”, said Alberto Contador.

After a Paris-Nice that has been very taxing physically and mentally, Alberto Contador has decided to dismiss both the Volta a Catalunya and the Basque Country Tour. In return, the leader of Astana will ride in the Criterium International (27 and 28 March), in the Tour of Castilla and Leon (14 to 18 April), Fleche Wallonne (April 21) and Liege-Bastogne-Liege (April 25).

“The Criterium is a race that suits my characteristics very well and I also look forward to run because it has much prestige”, said Alberto. “The Tour of Castilla and Leon is a race for what I have a special affection and this year change dates has been good for me and give me the opportunity to go to the classics, where I especially hope to take some experience. I'm excited to ride there, because they have a special charm, but I realize that there will be more skilled riders than me to fight for victory”.

Alberto Contador finished saying he had decided to “sacrifice Catalonia and the Basque Country because of my preparation, because it is doing very well and do not want to risk exceeded. Also, I'll have the opportunity to meet other team riders that will be in the Tour, like Vinokourov”.

After this new program Contador will start a short rest period beginning with the preparation of the Tour de France, before which will ride the Dauphiné Libéré.

Alberto Contador in Paris-Nice

Photo ContadorInfo

“The important thing was to win to get the bonus”

Alberto Contador did the forecast and won in Mende, a short and explosive climb  where proved to be the strongest climber in the race. Alberto repeated the victory in this same scenario in 2007, when he ended up winning the race in Nice. At the finish line, the differences were small, 10 seconds over Valverde and Samuel Sanchez, although linked to bonuses, place Contador as the new leader, 24 seconds over Valverde, 25 on Kreuziger and 28 on Luis Leon Sanchez. “The important thing was to win to get the bonus”, confirmed Alberto.
“The choice was to try to win and make differences, but above all to win, to get the bonus. Everything worked out as expected”, said the Astana’s leader, who went solo a little over one and a half kilometer from the arrival. “I had to start from afar and have chosen to regulate the maximum. The advantage is not great, but what mattered was the win”.
Alberto said have felt good during the ascent, “but not super, super. I had to do much effort to place well and you always paid this in the last kilometers. But yes, I had good legs, but had some concerns about how rivals respond, although I have feel quite well during the whole stage”. Read the rest of this entry →